Challenging Students

For many years, FOR and Interfaith Paths to Peace have sponsored an annual Peace Essay Contest for high school students in Jefferson County, affording them the opportunity to improve their research and composition skills while helping to increase their awareness that conflict can be solved without violence. More than 1,000 public and parochial school students have submitted essays tackling difficult problems ranging from teen-dating violence to Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The contest challenges students to craft creative nonviolent solutions to problems they have selected based on other successful approaches found through their research. The contest conforms to Kentucky Common Core Standards and has been approved by JCPS. Winners receive a cash prize and their essays have been published in The Courier-Journal and FORsooth.

We are exploring ways to incorporate other types of activities into the contest, on a school-by-school basis. If you are a teacher or student and are interested in a contest/activity at your school that involves creating and sharing examples of nonviolent conflict resolution, please contact us at FORessaycontest@gmail.com.